Lazaretto: Time Line

1st European settlement in Pennsylvania and included first government office (Printzhof) plus church, school and residences (population 250)

1655

Dutch Settlement

1664

English Settlement

1681

Duke of York gave William Penn a patent to land located on the west side of the Delaware River, including what is now Delaware County, in gratitude for assistance given to the crown by the Penn family.

1742

First Quarantine Station for City of Philadelphia built at mouth of Schuylkill River.

Ravishes of epidemics throughout the colonies (ex. Smallpox killed 95% of Indians in Connecticut and 1,000 Iroquois in New York, Yellow Fever in Charleston 1699 killed 190, and 5% in 1709)

1793

Yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia — 4-5,000 residents die (about 10% of population) and 17,000 left the city

1798

Board of Health formed to combat epidemics.

Created by the state with the power to levy taxes, but controlled by Philadelphia

Marine City Hospital Group purchased 10 acres in Tinicum from Tom Smith

1799-1800

The Lazaretto built

1802

Yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia

1804

John Ferguson on schooner "Monongohela Farmer" allowed 32 passengers

1820

Yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia

1824

Oyster boat landed in Chester and man ill with smallpox brought to Lazaretto and caused outrage among citizens (sick being carried overland to hospital)

1832

Cholera epidemic

1870

Brig "Home" from Jamaica was quarantined because of death of Captain. Logwood (4 days before). Cargo was taken to shore for fumigation and woman & child on board tug died of yellow fever. Eventually, the physician, nurse and quarantine master died among the twenty who contacted disease.

1871

Rebuilt the long wharf (280') and repaired the government warehouse for storage of quarantined cargo. Population of Tinicum was 125

1872

pressure to move the quarantine station to a location farther from Philadelphia petition signed by those in Delaware County to sell Lazaretto, buy little Tinicum Island and built quarantine station there. Died in the legislature.

1880

Federal government took over the quarantine function from individual states.